The concept of electric vehicles has
been steadily embraced by car manufacturers over the last several
years. Tesla
Motors has delivered over 900 of their Roadster electric sports
cars, while Nissan will start selling the LEAF
EV next year. GM is betting the future of the company on the
Volt.

Although
the focus has been on cars, the quick acceleration and efficiency
afforded by electric motors has been noticed by motorcycle
enthusiasts. The KillaCycle, built by Bill Dube, has been setting
records since 1999. It uses batteries made by A123
Systems, which is working with Chrysler on their EV
projects.

Lightning Motors is a new player in the niche
market. They are claiming a new world record for production
electric motorcycles at a top speed of 166.388 MPH (267.78 KM/h).
They've been testing their preproduction bike at the Bonneville Salt
Flats of the Great Salt Lake Desert in northwestern
Utah.

Unfortunately for them, the KillaCycle set a new world
record for electric motorcycles late last month. The official speed
as recorded by the National Electric Drag Racing Association (NEDRA)
was 169MPH (271.98 KM/h).

The KillaCycle has undergone a
program of continuous improvement, and there are plans for more. The
racing team is already using the latest nano-phosphate based lithium
ion cells from A123 Systems, and is planning a 150 pound weight
reduction to take the bike down to around 500 pounds. A 60HP increase
to 560HP should help lead to more records.

Electric
motorcycles still have a large gap with motorcycles using the
internal combustion engine. The MV Agusta F4-1000R tops out at
187.726 MPH (302.116 KPH), while the BUB Streamliner Seven set a new
overall motorcycle land speed record last month at 367.382 MPH
(591.24 KM/h). It is powered by a turbocharged 3 liter V4 engine
producing 500 HP and 400 lb-ft of torque @ 8500 RPM.

"When an individual makes a copy of a song for himself, I suppose we can say he stole a song." -- Sony BMG attorney Jennifer Pariser